Dutch court allows pedophile lobby group

A Dutch appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling banning a foundation that campaigns for legalizing sex between adults and children.

The appellate court said texts and photos on the website of the pedophile lobby group Stichting Martijn don't violate the law even though some group members have been found guilty of sex crimes, DutchNews.nl reported.

The court ruled society is resilient enough to withstand such "undesirable statements and abhorrent behavior."

Stichting Martijn was disbanded after last year's lower court ruling but former Chairman Martijn Uittenbogaard said the 60 former members would meet to decide what to do next.

A spokeswoman for the public prosecution office called Tuesday's ruling "disappointing" and said prosecutors would study it to see if there are sufficient grounds for appeal.  UPI